Heart's Surrender

Neither Samantha Freedman nor Gillian Jennings are looking for a relationship when they begin a no-strings-attached affair. But soon simple attraction turns into something more. What happens when the worlds of a handywoman and a pampered housewife collide? Can nights of hot, erotic fun lead to love, or will these two very different women go their separate ways? Don't miss out on this erotic lesbian fiction romance by award-winning author Emma Weimann.

Unlikely Match

Shelly White is a coding genius who has mastered the IT world but hasn't quite mastered dating. While she searches for Ms. Right with the help of Samantha Monteiro's matchmaking agency, Shelly embraces her inner nerd, and when one of her newest ideas turns into a creative goldmine, she hires PR exec Claire Moseley to help her professional dreams become reality. But is Claire the girl of her dreams in more ways than one?

No Good Reason

Detective Sanne Jensen (not blonde, not tall, definitely not Scandinavian) and Dr. Meg Fielding (scruffy, scatterbrained, prone to swearing at patients) are lifelong best friends, sharing the same deprived background and occasionally the same bed. When a violent kidnapping stuns the Peak District village of Rowlee, both women become involved in the case.

Unexpected

Self-made business owner Dale McGuire has always enjoyed two things in life: women and fast cars. Now in her mid-30s, she's restless and can't work out why. Then one day a 10-year-old boy turns up, claiming to be her son, and her simple ordered world turns upside down.

Her Best Friend's Sister

At 12-years-old, Claire Barker developed a massive crush on her best friend Sarah's older sister, the handsome, butch Alex Williams. Now 27 and a successful entrepreneur, Claire's interest hasn't waned - despite Alex's fashion photography career keeping her overseas for months at a time. When Alex moves home unexpectedly, she and Claire end up enjoying a surprise, wine-fueled reunion that alters their relationship forever. Are Claire's dreams about to come true, or will real life prove to be more complicated than her fantasies?

Timeless

What would you change about your past if you had the chance? What if you didn't have a choice? Stevie Geller doesn't do conflict. She likes her job as a successful novelist and playwright because it allows her to peacefully ensconce herself in her New York City loft, avoid human interactions, and leave personal drama for the page and stage. When her agent asks her to return to her hometown of Darlington, Illinois, to accept an award, she agrees only because he promises the process will be quick and easy.

Repercussions

Nearly fully recovered from a car accident that caused a major concussion, Edie Black is hopeful about returning to her life as a freelance journalist and college teacher. A series of bizarre incidents and the persistent feeling that she's being followed make Edie question the reliability of her thoughts and instincts. Edie meets Skye Kenny, a brilliant and shy former soldier, and their immediate connection has Edie confessing her paranoid thoughts.

For Money or Love

Jessica Spaulding works for Magnate, her father's multi-billion-dollar investment firm. But her life of privilege comes at a high personal cost, requiring her to keep aspects of herself under wraps. Magnate's new intern, TJ Blake, leads by example. The sole guardian of her teenage sister, TJ juggles work, graduate school, and debt. As TJ discovers there's more to Jess than she lets on, her pride and notions about wealth run headlong against her growing feelings for Jess.

Second Season

As Hurricane Katrina ravages New Orleans, attorney Tully Badeaux's life follows suit when betrayal leads to heartbreak. Tully Gaston Badeaux might be successful in the courtroom but at home her relationships with her partner, Dr. Jessica Badeaux, and their children are falling apart.

Heart Stop

Jay "Flash" Reynolds has a brilliant future as a trauma surgeon until a truck on a rainy night changes her life. Assistant chief medical examiner Olivia Price is more at ease with the dead than the living - at least the dead never lie. All she needs to do is listen to their stories. What she doesn't need is a surly new resident who would rather be somewhere else. Two women, one with a damaged body, the other a damaged spirit, challenge each other to dare to live again.

Someone Like You

Have you ever fallen for the wrong person? Maggie Zurek is a high-powered executive who just pulled off the crowning achievement of her business career. Her future looks bright, but when a sleep-deprived car accident causes her family to send her on a forced vacation, Maggie is furious. It's the worst possible time to waste two weeks at an island on the Maine coast. But she's even more furious when she discovers that her sister signed her up for a self-help painting class with a teacher who is Maggie's polar opposite.

Love by Design

Cassie Carl believes she has it all. On the cusp of achieving her professional goals and soon to marry the man of her dreams - the handsome, kind, and loving Stefan Van Allen - it seems she's found the life every woman dreams of. When Cassie's wealthy fiancé brings Peyton in to do a renovation on their home before the big engagement party, sparks fly, leaving both Cassie and Peyton to question everything they thought they already had. What happens when the thin veil of perfection becomes riddled with holes?

Solve for i

Gemma Rowe is a shy math nerd from Sydney, who, despite having an affinity for probability and logic, only just worked out at 28 that she's not actually straight. Not only is she not straight, but she's developed feelings for her best friend, Sarah. Gemma knows the logical thing to do is to get over Sarah. She wants to be in her own happy relationship and not caught up on her straight best friend. But how is she supposed to get over Sarah when she can't figure out who she's attracted to anymore?

Don't Say Goodbye

What if you fell for the most impossible woman: your best friend's girlfriend? Maxine "Max" Hallwell has spent her entire life making the safe, responsible decisions. It's not that she never had dreams, but while her childhood best friend, Joanna, risked everything to start her own delivery business, Max went to work at a call center. Now, their 40th birthdays are fast approaching, and Joanna is rich, high-powered, and happy. And Max is miserable.

The Romance Vote

Christian "Chili" Alexander is the most sought after campaign consultant at the Pellegrin Morris Firm in New Orleans. Chili's success has given her the freedom to choose her clients carefully, but she hasn't had the same good fortune in love. Recent Tulane graduate Samantha Pellegrin wants the opportunity to work with the star of her father's firm in the off-year election. As his only child, she'll eventually inherit the firm, but she wants to continue their great track record in the world of politics.

Tats

Lee Hammond's girlfriend has moved on to other women. Deciding she's done the last of her now ex's laundry, Lee hops on the Harley, ripe for adventure. One thunderstorm, a brief stint as a funeral crasher, two ruined shoes, and several cheerleaders later, she's still planning to run away. Better yet, she's got one of the cheerleaders along for the ride.

Love Match

Parker King is the number-one tennis player in the world with a real talent for getting women in her bed. To prepare herself for the one title she's never won - and avoid the press and her ex - she retreats to a secluded home in Press Cove, Alabama. There she'll also be safe from the Soldiers of God who've threatened to kill her for what they see as her depraved lifestyle.

Sawmill Springs

Homicide detective Mandi Murphy had seen enough bloodshed on the streets of Houston to last a lifetime. After a botched drug bust left a friend dead, she wanted out of the city. Peaceful little Sawmill Springs seemed like the perfect spot to start over. Six weeks on patrol proved the town to be as quiet and serene as she'd imagined.

Mounting Evidence

Lieutenant Abigail Hargrove comes from a long line of cops...."dirty cops". She's an exemplary, detached officer when on duty with the Tacoma Police Department, but after hours, she strives in secret to atone for her relatives' corruption. Abby agrees to ride with her mounted unit during the Washington State Fair, expecting a relaxing few weeks of horses and PR work, but a bittersweet reunion with childhood friend Kira sets into motion a chain of events that makes Abby's private and public lives collide.

Rules of Revenge

When a terrorist group brings down three passenger jets, CIA threat analyst Jessie Coltrane is plunged into a netherworld where it's difficult to tell friend from foe. Nothing is what it seems. Case in point? Darien Troy, the beautiful but deadly operative brought in to help neutralize the threat. Jessie is drawn to Darien. She's just not sure she can trust her.

The Thousand Mile Love Story

Meet Andee Shaw. A decade ago, her heart was broken by a devastatingly beautiful woman - the woman she thought she'd spend the rest of her life with. Now, 10 years later, two of her oldest friends, Elizabeth and Heather, are getting married in Vermont. And they have a request: They want the old gang to take that infamous road trip they always talked about in college but never set into motion.

Strawberry Summer

With the arrival of Courtney Carrington, Margaret's youth sparked into color. But first loves can scar. Margaret hasn't seen Courtney in years and that's for the best. But when Courtney loses her father and returns to Tanner Peak to take control of the family store, Margaret comes face-to-face with her past and the woman she's tried desperately to forget. The fact that Courtney has grown up more beautiful than ever certainly doesn't help matters.

Hunter's Pursuit

A killer for hire, Katarzyna Demetrious has grown weary of her violent and solitary life. Contemplating retirement, she has gone into hiding in her remote bunker home as a blizzard rages outside. But her seclusion is shattered by the appearance of a mysterious stranger, and, with a price tag on her head, Kat is thrust into the most perilous situation she has ever faced. Can she outwit the assassins on her trail? And could the woman she rescues...and is unexpectedly attracted to...be the deadliest of them all?

No Strings Attached: Pink Bean Series, Book 1

Micky Ferro has lived her entire life according to other people's expectations. She married a man, had two children, and became a dutiful stay-at-home mom in suburban Sydney. Until she realized, with a little help from her best friend, that her picture-perfect life wasn't making her happy. On the first anniversary of her divorce, Micky decides it's time for the next step in her journey and gets a job at her neighborhood coffee shop, The Pink Bean.

Publisher's Summary

What do you do when you fall through the loopholes in the system and all you have to rely on are your own wits?

Lois and Sophie have scrambled and saved for years, planning for their retirement in Florida. But now they've lost it all, and Lois' sniper training from her long-ago service as an Army nurse leads to a desperate career choice.

When Detective Morgan Holiday is assigned to investigate a spate of sniper killings, it's just one more stress point in her already overburdened life. But as she grows increasingly solitary - coping with an Alzheimer’s-plagued mother who refuses to be confined to a nursing home, and a police partner counting the days to retirement - she comes to realize that these murders may cut close to home.

A modern morality tale of justice, retribution, and women who refuse to be politely invisible.

My lord how I adored this. I listened to it to and fro from work. I must say the reader did an amazing job.

It's not hard to imagine an older lesbian couple reaching their retirement years and struggling for their income. One is a teacher, the other a retired military nurse, and living on social security and non-existent pensions is a struggle. Pretty much the only thing they own that doesn't have a use - they've sold everything else - is a rifle they have kept for sentimental reasons.

And though they can't quite pin exactly when - or which of them it was exactly - the decision was made, they did indeed make a decision to make some extra money by offering their services in a growth industry: hired assassination.

These two wonderful old women are a joy to read - even though they're killers for hide (and at times even because of it). That they have a moral compass in play (albeit one that still allows their murder-for-cash solution to life's problems) is central to how they're still so damned loveable, and as the tale progresses, and their backgrounds, histories, loves and pains come to light, my affection for them only grew.

Counterpointed with these two lovely ladies is another woman, the detective who is assigned to the case when the bodies start to stack up. Her journey was also intriguing, enjoyable, and emotionally encompassing, and the last few chapters, when things start to grow very taut, had me very nervous for all concerned.

I'm Audible's first Editor-at-Large, the host of In Bed with Susie Bright -- and a longtime author, editor, journo, and bookworm. I listen to audio when I'm cooking, playing cards, knitting, going to bed, waking up, driving, and putting other people's kids to bed! My favorite audiobooks, ever, are: "True Grit" and "The Dog of the South."

This wasn't actually noir - though the small-city Illinois setting tends give the whole thing a greyish tinge. I loved the premise of an older couple deciding that killing for hire (only really bad guys) was okay and I liked the details of the central family who have any number of believable struggles. It was easy to sympathize with them, Detective Morgan Halliday and the rest of the goodish guys. Bernadette Dunne was a perfect storyteller for this.

Where does Retirement Plan rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would put this in the top 10 of audio books, and I've listened to a lot of them. I like the book when I read it, but it really comes to life as an audio book. The narrator is spot on. Beautifully read.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's hard to pick between the three main characters -- Morgan the detective or the two elderly couple, Sophie and Lois. Morgan's dealing with her mother's Alzheimer's disease is heart-breaking. Sophie and Lois as contract killers sounds outrageous, but their matter-of-fact approach to it makes it seem perfectly sensible ... like opening a vegetable stand to make extra money.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The most moving moment was when Morgan's new partner - the one she thought was going to be a sexist jerk - stood guard so she could come to terms with her mother's death in private.

Any additional comments?

This is a book that is meant to be read aloud, and this narrator does an excellent job at it.

This was definitely a good story, had drama, action, and at times you will say "OH NO SHE DIDN'T". You got to do what you do to survive the corrupt politicians that don;t give damn about the senior citizens in anyway " I SAY YOU GO GIRL"